Zimbabwe batter put on the same pedestal as Virat Kohli by ex-KKR star

Ahead of the IPL 2026, former India and KKR batter Aakash Chopra made a bold remark about Zimbabwe batter Brian Bennett. Chopra compared Bennett with Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli.

Zimbabwe emerged as one of the most surprising sides in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026. Proving most of the predictions wrong, the Chevrons paved their path into the Super 8 of the global T20 International event. Brian Bennett, a 22-year-old top-order batter, made a significant impact with his eye-catching batting performance.

Aakash Chopra compared Zimbabwe batter Brian Bennett with Indian batting star Virat Kohli

Aakash Chopra compared the emerging batter with Virat Kohli. On February 26, when India faced Zimbabwe in Chennai for a Super 8 match, Bennett smashed a straight six against Jasprit Bumrah, which was the maximum Virat hit against Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf in the T20 World Cup 2022. By hitting the ball over the bowler's head for a six, the Zimbabwe opener showed his class.

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"He hit Bumrah for a straight six. It gave a Virat Kohli-like feeling. He (Kohli) had hit Haris Rauf in Melbourne, and he (Bennett) hit Bumrah straight with a flat bat at Chepauk off a short ball. In my opinion, Brian Bennett was the pick of the young players. He is only 22 years old, with a wonderful future ahead of him", Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

Bennett was outstanding: Aakash Chopra

The former cricketer, now working as a cricket expert, describes Bennett as the most exciting young talent to play in the 2026 T20 World Cup. For the budding batter, the ex-cricketer used words like 'Outstanding'.

"Brian Bennett. He was outstanding. The ease and capability with which he played, the best among the young players. I don't think anyone has come even close to him because he hit consistently", Chopra expressed in the same YouTube video.

Against India, the right-handed batter displayed one of his best knocks, scoring an unbeaten 97 off 59 balls. His heart-out efforts went in vain as India won the match with ease, by 72 runs.

Only a few batters scored more runs in the T20 World Cup 2026 than Bennett

If we take a look at Brian Bennett's overall batting stats in the T20 World Cup 2026, then it will be easier to understand why Chopra is so impressed.

In six innings of the flagship tournament, the batter registered 292 runs at an average of 146.00. Pakistan's Sahibzada Farhan (383), New Zealand opener Tim Seifert (326), Team India stars Sanju Samson (321) and Ishan Kishan (317), New Zealand's Finn Allen (298) are the only batters to score more runs than Bennett in the tournament.

According to the official website of the International Cricket Council (ICC), Zimbabwe batter Brian Bennett's current ranking in the Men's T20I batters' list is 17. The young gun has produced 1,888 runs so far, averaging 36.31, with a strike rate of 143.68. 111 is his highest T20I knock, which came against Tanzania on September 30, 2025.

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